Scintillating Spirits Sparkled

by Susan Montgomery

Our Spirits Review Council (SRC) met earlier this fall to taste and review a variety of what I am calling “scintillating spirits” because they were generally lively and flavorful.  After all, we can't always drink wine.  Variety is the spice of life and the dedicated wine drinkers who participate in the SRC welcomed using their talented palates to savor some different beverages.

A highlight of the evening was that revered Japanese beverage called “sake” so Todd Montgomery, who has lived in Japan, set his table with beautiful Japanese dishes that enhanced our sake sipping experience. We love sake and I will never order sushi without also enjoying a carafe of good sake that brings out the subtle yet distinctive flavors of fresh fish. And I am not alone in enjoying sake. Sake sales in the US have doubled in the last ten years and the demand for sake continues to increase.  While many Americans prefer sake served warm (which, of course, is very nice, especially on a cold day), we generally like our sake served chilled and that's the way we enjoyed it at this sake tasting. 

We first tasted TY KU Premium Silver Sake, which had been imported from Nara, Japan—a lovely city Todd and I have visited that is known for its wandering deer, but Nara is even better known as the birthplace of sake.  This all natural premium sake, free of gluten, sulfites and tannins, has understandably won many awards with its mellow, only slightly sweet hints of pear and citrus. It is a Junmai sake, a premium classification that represents 15 percent of all the sakes sold in the United States.

We also tasted TY KU Coconut Sake, another premium Junmai sake, but this sake was cloudy since a small amount of rice was purposefully left unfiltered to create a sweet, creamy taste. Both sakes were outstanding.  In addition, we enjoyed small samples of Sake One Asian Pear, Coconut Lemongrass Nigori Sake, and Creamy Momokawa Nigori Sake. Each had its own unique and delicate flavor. 

Just like wine, sakes vary greatly in taste and the same food pairings do not work with every variety of sake.  However, most sakes go well with sushi and the ones we tasted were no exceptions. Take a bite of fresh, savory sushi and then take a sip of high quality sake and you will experience something bordering on nirvana.  Fortunately, Ty Ku Sakes are available at liquor retailers all over the United States, including CVS and Costco.

After our wonderful sake tastings, we ventured into the world of gin, another favorite spirit of ours, but G’vine Gin was really distinct from the grain-based gins we are accustomed to drinking.  G’vine Gin, which is produced in France’s Cognac region, is unique because it is grape-based. The grape used is very receptive to the distillation process and is high in acidity while remaining well balanced and producing a much smoother drink than you find with traditional gins. Since the gin mixture is infused with the fragile vine flower that is handpicked before becoming a grape berry, there is an aromatic floral essence to this gin. Other botanicals are also added, including juniper berries, ginger root, licorice, green cardamom, nutmeg and lime. The result is a crisp, herbaceous gin with hints of juniper and ginger on the palate. I tried this gin straight and really relished its mellow distinctive flavors, but it was also delicious mixed with a splash of tonic. G’vine is available at fine liquor retailers throughout the United States for approximately $33 so it is a bit pricier than most gins, but its enticing flavor makes it well worth the higher price.

This gin goes well with foods that are both light and rich. It enhanced the subtle sushi flavors and brought out the cranberry flavors in a saucy meatball dish. It also matched nicely with the cheese stuffed dates and various cheeses on our tasting table.

As a lighter option to revive our palates at bit, we enjoyed Vita Frute cocktails, ready-to-drink cocktails made with organic VEEV spirits. VEEV was launched in 2007 by two brothers, Courtney and Carter Reum, after a surfing trip to Brazil where they discovered the Acai berry, known locally as “purple Gold” because of its health benefits. The Vita Frute cocktails are generally under 125 calories per serving and are made with all natural juices and agave nectar. These cocktails are very convenient because all you have to do is shake them, pour them over ice, and sip away.

We enjoyed the Lemonade cocktail, which was deliciously crisp, citrusy and refreshing. The Vita Frute Cosmopolitan with cranberry flavors was also tasty, although our favorite was the Lemonade. Because of their zesty, fruity flavors, both cocktails worked well with spicy dishes, such as a tangy shrimp dish and zesty cheese enchiladas. The Vita Frute cocktails are very reasonably priced at $12 a bottle and are widely available at liquor outlets and in liquor departments in grocery stores and pharmacies.

Our final drink of the evening was Amaro Averna, a popular Italian liqueur produced in Caltanissetta, Sicily. We learned that caramel is added to a mixture of herbs, roots and citrus rinds to produce this luscious drink with its contrasting slightly sweet and bitter tastes. It can be enjoyed as a traditional digestif served on the rocks or neat, and it is also used as an ingredient in a variety of cocktails. This drink was nicely paired with Bard Medjol dates stuffed with goat cheese, basil and orange segments. The cheese was especially savory when accompanied by sips of Averna. We found this drink to be a pleasant respite after an evening of eating and drinking. We did not feel overly full of food or spirits and I think it was the Amaro Averna that soothed our digestive systems.

But we had one more treat to savor:  unique and delicious Buzz Bars, which are alcohol-infused ice cream bars. We each tried a variety of flavors, but our favorites were the Blitzed Berry with strawberry ice cream and rum, Citrus Berry Drop with raspberry lemon drop sorbet and lemon vodka, and Bourbon St. Chocolate made with chocolate ice cream and whiskey. They were all scrumptious. I could imagine pulling these frozen bars out of our freezer for a delicious treat to surprise guests over the holidays. They can be ordered at the BuzzBar website at $59 for a case of 12, plus $40 for shipping.

It was spirited evening of sipping and tasting with a variety of tantalizing flavors and aromas floating around.  I think we all liked the idea of occasionally trying spirits instead of wine and we found it interesting that foods can be successfully paired with all kinds of alcoholic beverages.

Photos taken by Todd Montgomery.